The Fish That Climbs Waterfalls

In the rivers of Hawaii lives a small fish called the rock-climbing goby. It is smaller than your finger. But this little fish does something amazing: it climbs waterfalls.

U rijekama Havaja živi mala riba zvana penjačica. Manja je od tvog prsta. Ali ova mala riba radi nešto nevjerojatno: penje se uz vodopade.

The goby is born in the river, high in the mountains. After it hatches, the water carries the baby fish down to the sea. When it is bigger, it must return to the calm water high up the mountain. There is only one way: up. The goby holds the wet rock with its mouth, which works like a small suction cup. It also has a second sucker on its belly. Mouth, belly, mouth, belly. Centimetre by centimetre, it climbs straight up the rock behind the falling water.

Riba se rodi u rijeci, visoko u planinama. Nakon izlijeganja, voda odnosi mladu ribu prema moru. Kad odraste, mora se vratiti u mirnu vodu visoko u planini. Postoji samo jedan put: prema gore. Riba drži mokru stijenu ustima, koja djeluju kao mala prijanjalica. Ima i drugu prijanjalicu na trbuhu. Usta, trbuh, usta, trbuh. Centimetar po centimetar, penje se ravno uz stijenu iza vode koja pada.

Some of these waterfalls are taller than a twenty-storey building. For a fish this small, that is like a person climbing a mountain many kilometres high. The goby does not hurry. It just never stops.

Neki od tih vodopada viši su od zgrade s dvadeset katova. Za ovako malu ribu, to je kao da se čovjek penje uz planinu visoku mnogo kilometara. Riba ne žuri. Samo nikada ne staje.